Aberfan

In 1966, the mining village of Aberfan, South Wales [UK], was buried under 1,000 tons of mining spoil which had come sliding down a nearby mountain. The slagheap had been put there, in spite of warnings from local people that it was not safe. Apparently, the heap was erected on top of a stream. The slagheap came down the hill at 9.30 am on 21 October 1966 and engulfed the primary school, where pupils had just finished morning assembly. One hundred and nine youngsters perished, together with five teachers and thirty other people in the village. A frantic rescue effort, with people initially digging with their bare hands and shovels, later with bulldozers followed. Although the Coal Board declared the incident to have been an "Act of God", in other words beyond their control, an investigation later confirmed what local people had been warning about for some time. More on this story and pictures on this BBC News page.

Note on picture: the centre of attention would become the policeman you see at the bottom of the image, who is carrying a child away.

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